The present invention is directed to an apparatus for dispensing material, and in particular, solid granular material. It is also within the scope of the present invention to provide a dispenser for liquids. The improved apparatus is particularly useful in connection with dispensing coffee beans, but is also equally advantageously useful for dispensing other materials such as powered and granular products, beans, and bulk products such as candy.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 716,507; 2,070,264; 2,834,513; 5,139,173; and 5,927,558 illustrate examples of past and current dispensing devices. U.S. Pat. No. 5,139,173 discloses a bulk product dispenser having a housing designed to dispense material, including coffee, by gravity feed of the material down an inclined bottom surface and through a discharge chute. The housing of the disclosed device is of a unitary construction, rendering it difficult to disassemble the device for repair, maintenance or inspection purposes. The flow of material through the forward chute is controlled by physical movement of the chute itself from a first position in which flow of material is blocked and a second position in which flow of material is permitted.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved dispenser and method of manufacturing the same of the general type disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,139,173. In accordance with this objective, the present invention provides a dispenser including a housing and discharge cute which are readily assembled into an operational mode and readily disassembed to permit easy maintenance, replacement and repair. It is a further object of the present invention to provide improved means for controlling the flow of material from the discharge chute.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
In accordance with the present invention, a dispenser apparatus includes a housing formed from two substantially identical mirrored half sections which are removably joined together into an assembled configuration. Each half housing section includes a supporting stand and a downwardly inclined bottom surface. Each housing section also includes a half section of a compartment for retaining a chute at the front lower portion of the assembled housing. Each half section of the chute retaining compartment is integrally formed together with one of the half housing sections such that when the two housing sections are joined together in an assembled configuration, a lower forward compartment for retaining a chute is defined at the front lower portion of the assembled housing. A removable cover is mountable to the opened top of the assembled housing to provide access to the inside of the housing to add additional material therein as needed.
In operation, a chute is mounted in the chute retaining compartment defined at the lower forward end of the assembled housing. The chute includes a plate-like movable gate element which is spring biased into a closed position to block a discharge chute opening. In this position, material which would otherwise slide down the inclined bottom surface of the housing and through the forward discharge opening of the chute, is blocked by the closed gate. An armature mounted to the outer surface of the assembled housing is mechanically linked to the gate such that actuation of the armature moves the gate against the spring bias and into an opened position in which the discharge chute opening is no longer blocked by the gate. In this position, material within the housing will flow down the inclined bottom surface of the housing as a result of gravity feed, and will be discharged from the housing through the opened discharge chute.
Preferably, the chute is removably mounted in the chute retaining compartment to facilitate repair, inspection and replacement of the chute. However, when the chute is mounted to the housing in its assembed position, the chute remains substantially fixed in position and is not movable relative to the assembled housing.
The apparatus in accordance with the present invention can readily be manufactured in half sections by known molding procedures including injection molding. In this manner, the production costs of the device are reduced. The components of the dispenser are easily assembled together either at the manufacturing facility, or at the user on site location, and can be readily disassembed for repair, maintenance and inspection. Accordingly, the different components of the dispenser, as for example, the chute, replaced as needed without replacing the entire dispenser apparatus.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the components of the dispenser are formed from plastic, and are produced by injection molding procedures.